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Padres INF Chase Headley earns 2012 Silver Slugger Award

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Press Release |

SAN DIEGO – Louisville Slugger announced today on MLB Network that San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley has been named winner of the 2012 Silver Slugger Award for the National League at third base. It is the first Silver Slugger award of Headley’s career who also recently won his first career Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Headley becomes the 10th player in Padres franchise history to win a Silver Slugger Award and just the third to win at third base, joining Ken Caminiti (1996) and Gary Sheffield (1992). It is the 19th time overall a Padres player has been honored with a Louisville Silver Slugger Award, joining other past winners in Tony Gwynn (seven times), Benito Santiago (four times), Terry Kennedy (once), Garry Templeton (once), Fred McGriff (once), Sheffield (once), Caminiti (once), Greg Vaughn (once) and Mark Loretta (once). Headley is the Padres’ first player to win a Silver Slugger Award since Mark Loretta took home the honors at second base in 2004.

The switch-hitter was named the Padres Most Valuable Player by the San Diego chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) after setting career-highs in 2012 in home runs (31), RBI (115), runs (95), hits (173) and walks (86) while tying career-highs in doubles (31) and stolen bases (17). He led the National League with 115 RBI, becoming just the second player in Padres team history to lead the league in RBI, joining Dave Winfield who led the NL with 118 RBI in 1979. Headley led all NL third basemen in home runs, RBI, runs scored and walks in 2012.

Headley also becomes just the eighth National League third baseman ever to win both the Rawlings Gold Glove and Louisville Silver Slugger Awards in the same season and first since Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman in 2009. He is just the fourth player in Padres history to win both awards in one season, joining Tony Gwynn (1986-87, 89), Benito Santiago (1988, 90) and Ken Caminiti (1996).

Presented annually since 1980, the Louisville Silver Slugger Awards honor the top offensive performances at each position in the American League and National League, as voted by Major League managers and coaches.